Day and night illuminated plate for signs



May 1935- J. M. MooRE 2,003,089

' DAY AND NIGHT ILLU MINATED PLATE FOR SIGNS Filed April 12, 1954 I 'lllllllil 0 INVENTOR a JOHN M. Moon:

ATTORN EY Patented May 28, 1935 UNITED STATES DAY AND NIGHT ILLUMINATED PLATE FOR SIGNS John M. Moore, New York, N. Application April 12, 1934, Serial No. 720,237

2 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a day and night illuminatable plate for signs, useable as a license plate, advertising sign or the like.

The invention has for an object the construction of a plate for signs to be illuminated from the rear which is charactered by a front opaque background member having stenciled character openings and a back transparent, semitrans parent or translucent member to cover the character openings. With this arrangement upon illumination of the back of the sign it may be readily seen. Y

Still further the invention particularly proposes an arrangement whereby the back member is provided with raised characters engaging into the character openings of the front member and said raised characters being of the same material as the back member and having its face flush with the front face of the front member. This arrangement is of importance in that then the front of the plate is absolutely smooth and may readily be kept clean merely by washing.

Still further the invention also proposes an arrangementwhere symbols are used in conjunction with the character openings so as to enhance the value of the plate, for example, such symbols may be small red areas at the upper corners of the plate to act as a warning sign so that following vehicles do not come too close.

Still further the invention also proposes the construction of a casing for holding the plate which is characterized by a box having an open front and a reflector mounted in the back and having opposed inclined sides and opposed inclined top and bottom portions connected with a rear portion parallel to the front and illuminated with an opposed pair of lights in a manner so as to efllciently illuminate the rear of the plate.

Still further the invention also proposes an arrangement whereby opaque slides are adjustably mounted upon-the rear of the back member of the plate and adapted to cover the transparent symbols if desired.

Still further the invention also. proposes the provision of additional lamps for illuminatingv the reflector and arranged in a circuit and controlled by the action of said slides in a manner so that one pair of lamps illuminate the additional symbols, when the latter elements are operated and when the slides cover up these elements, then another pair of lamps operate to illuminate the rear of the plate.

Still further the invention proposes the construction of a device as mentioned which is simple and durable and which may be manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, referencewill be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, and to the 10 appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawing forming a material part of this disclosure:-

Fig. l is a perspective view of a device constructed according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of Fig. 1 shown with the front cover and plate removed.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 is afragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view similar to Fig. 6 but illustrating a modification of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a rear elevational view ofFig. 7 seen as though looking in the direction of the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary elevational view of a casing for the plate illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of the device.

The day and nightilluminable plate for Signs according to this invention comprises a front opaque background member 10 having stenciled character openings H, and a back transparent, semi-transparent, or translucent member l2 having raised characters l3 engaging in said stenciled character openings H and of the same material as the back member. These characters l3 completely close the character openings II and are so constructed that the outer faces are flush-with the outer face of the front member I0. It'is intended that the front and rear members should be made of desirable materials such as phenol compensation products or metals. If phenol compensation products are used it is advisable that the front and rear members be joined by the use of solvents. Adjacent contacting. surfaces should be 55 treated with the solvents so that they become soft and then engaged with each other and allowed to dry. With this arrangement the plate will be of one integral piece when finished.

In addition to the stenciled characters l3 guide symbols may be incorporated in the plate such as the symbols ll. These symbols I! are small areas of transparent, semi-transparent or translucent material, but red in color. They are intended to denote danger so that vehicles to the rear of one provided with the plate will not come too close. These symbols I4 are constructed very similar to the characters. More particularly the front member I0 is formed with symbol openings l5 into which the symbols ll project. The symbols H are mounted upon the back member l2. Preferably the symbols [4 should be of the same material as the back member varying only in color. A very nice arrangement for the plate is one in which the characters l3 and the back member l2 are of yellow color, and the symbols M of red color.

The plateis used in conjunction with mechanism whereby the rear of the plate may be illuminated. This mechanism comprises a casing l5 having a front opening closed with a reflector containing various reflecting surfaces and comprising opposed side surfaces l1 opposed top and bottom surfaces l8 and a rear surface is parallel to the plate of the open front of the casing. A pair of opposed lamps 20 are mounted upon the opposed sides l1 of the reflector near the top so as to be located directly behind the symbols H. A frame 2| is adapted to engage over the open front of the casing l5 and hold the plate [0 in position. The.

lamps 20 are electrically connected with a cable 22 extending at the point 22 from the casing and intended to be connected with a source of power such as the battery 23, schematically illustrated in Fig. 1. A feature of the arrangement is that the light from the lamps will be reflected by the various reflecting surfaces I1, l8 and I9 against the rear of the plate Ill so as to illuminate the characters i3 and the symbols ll. The mainportion of the plate I0 is opaque so that the illuminated portions will stand out vividly.

In Fig. 5 another embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in which a plate I0 is shown constructedidentical to the plate Ill differing merely in the characters. In Fig. 1 the characters represent a license plate. In Fig. 5 the characters represent a sign bearing the words "To let. The plate I0 is formed with stenciled character openings ll' into which the characters l3 project. These characters l3'.are arranged upon a transparent, semi-transparent or translucent back member i2. From this brief description it is believed that the construction will be readily understood.

Another variation in the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 5 is in the arrangement of the casing it which is provided with a pair of legs l5 so that the sign may be supported or rested upon a flat surface. At the point 22 a cable 22' extends from the device for connection with a source of electrical current.

In Figs. 7-10 inclusive another variation of the invention has been disclosed wherein there is a plate l0 constructed substantially identical 'to the corresponding plate illustrated in Fig. l

and shown provided with symbol portions ll. These symbol portions are of transparent, semitransparent or translucent material and of red color for the purpose described relative to the corresponding portions I4. For each of the symbol portions Hi there is provided a slide 25 adjustably supported by a pair of screws 26 upon the rear of the back member l2. Each slide 25 is adapted to assume an open position as illustrated upon the drawing or to assume a closed position indicated by the dot and dash lines in Fig. 1 which position the slide extends over and covers the back of the symbol M. A pair of self opening switches 21 and 28 are used in conjunction with one slide 25 and are mounted upon the back member I2. One of these switches 21 is arranged at a point so as to normally be held closed whenthe slide 25 is in the open position. The other switch 28 is arranged at a point so as to be closed when the slide 25 is moved to. the closed position. Upon motion of the slide 25 to the closed position the switch 21 will be released and automatically open.

The type of plate shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is intended to be used with a casing i6 having a reflector I1, i8 and IS in which there are provided top lamps 20 arranged immediately behind the symbols l4 to illuminate the symbols l4 and central lamps 29 arranged at the center of the reflector to be used to illuminate the back of the plate, as a substitute for illumination by the lamps20. It is intended that the lamps 20 be used for the illumination of the plate when the symbols H are in operation. But when the symbols H are not in operation then it is intended that the lamps 29 be used to illuminate the plate. The lamps 20 are connected in series with the switch 21 and in parallel with a power circuit 30. The lamps 29 are connected in series with the switch 28 and in parallel with the power circuit 30. In the condition of the device as illustrated on the drawing, the switch 21 is closed and the lamps 20 are operating to illuminate the back of the plate and symbols l4. When the slides 25 are moved into positions to cover up the symbols M then the switch 21 will be opened, and the switch 28 will be closed so that the central lamps 29 are now operating and the top lamps 20 are out of operation.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A day and night illuminable plate for signs, comprising a front opaque background member of phenol condensation material having character openings, and a back translucent member upon the back of said front member and also of phenol condensation material and integrally joined therewith'with solvents.

2. A day and night illuminable plate for signs comprising a front opaque plate of phenol condensation material having character openings,

and a back translucent member of phenol condensation material having like characters inrelief upon the front of said back member so as to be cooperable with said character openings, said front plate and said back members being integrally joined by temporary solution of their contacting parts. H

JOHN M. MOORE. 

